Rees: The Rhine, City History and Planet Trail

Rees lies directly on the Rhine. Alongside the river, the town is shaped by a long history, art, a planet trail and cycling routes of varying lengths. You can plan your stay around the historic town centre, paths through the Lower Rhine countryside and activities on the water.

City history marked by the passage of time

On 14 July 1228, the Archbishop of Cologne granted Rees city rights. In the 15th century, Rees was part of Hanseatic trade; as a Hanseatic town, it was allied with cities in the eastern Netherlands. The town’s history thus stretches from medieval city rights to the trade relations of the Hanseatic era.

The historic town fortifications also tell the story of a long period of development: they comprise six successive defensive systems dating from the 12th to the 18th century, built by four European nations. The number of systems and their span across the centuries give the history of the fortifications a distinctive scale, without reducing it to a single phase of construction.

Art, city history and a guided tour

The Municipal Koenraad Bosman Museum Rees focuses on two areas: art and city history. Beneath the museum building is a casemate built around 1500 for lighter artillery. The museum and the casemate therefore represent different aspects of the town’s history: cultural themes and military architecture.

The guided tour “In the Footsteps of the Oldest Town on the Lower Rhine” takes visitors through the historic town centre. It provides a general introduction to Rees’s history, along with information about sights and monuments. Dates and booking arrangements may change; check them before making plans.

Planet trail, cycling routes and the Rhine

The planet trail in Rees depicts the solar system at a scale of 1:1 billion. The walk through the Lower Rhine countryside combines the route with information about the sun and planets. If you are travelling with children who are interested in space, this gives you a specific topic to talk about together along the way.

Admission to Rees Sculpture Park is free; the approximately 22-kilometre Planet Route also starts there. It follows the first planet trail on the Lower Lower Rhine onto the dike and along the cycle path to Rees-Mehr. Its approximate length provides a guide for planning your day. Before setting off, check whether any temporary diversions are in place.

There are also 19 signposted cycling routes in and around Rees, ranging from 17 to 140 kilometres. They run within the municipal area of Rees, into the surrounding countryside and to neighbouring towns. This lets you compare route lengths and courses without assuming that a tour’s character can be inferred from its length alone. The Planet Route’s approximately 22 kilometres give you a specific point of reference; the range of signposted tours offers a wider choice of distances.

The Rhine can also be part of your day’s plans from the water. From the Rees Rhine promenade, visitors can take the passenger ferry to the opposite bank. The passenger boats “Stadt Rees” and “Germania” also depart from the promenade for trips on the Rhine. If you plan to take the ferry, check the timetable beforehand.

Cycling in the wider destination of Kleve

In the wider destination of Kleve, the district of Kleve has more than 1,500 kilometres of cycle paths and numerous themed routes. The 128-kilometre signposted Niers Cycle Route runs from the source of the Niers in Mönchengladbach through the districts of Viersen and Kleve to the municipality of Gennep in the Netherlands. A pocket planner shows all the junctions in the district of Kleve when unfolded and includes information about how the district-wide junction system works.

Discover more destinations: Kranenburg, Kerken, Appeldorn, Kevelaer, Bedburg-Hau, Issum, Rheurdt, Kalkar.

Back to the wider travel overview: Kleve.